The major function of absorbent articles such as disposable diapers and adult incontinent briefs is to absorb and contain body exudates. Such articles ae intended to prevent body exudates from soiling, wetting, or otherwise contaminating clothing or other articles, such as bedding, that come in contact with the wearer. The most common modes of failure for such products occur when body exudates leak from the edges of the article to adjacent clothing or are not immediately absorbed within the absorbent article and leak out of the gaps between the absorbent article and the wearer's leg or waist to adjacent clothing. This is most evident with loose fecal material which is not easily absorbed by the absorbent article and tends to "float" on the top surface of the absorbent article.
Contemporary disposable diapers, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,860,003 issued to Kenneth Barclay Buell on Jan. 14, 1975, have a topsheet, a backsheet, an absorbent core and elasticizied leg flaps to improve both wearing comfort and the ability to contain body exudates. These elasticized leg flaps prove effective generally to prevent wicking and overflow from a fluid laden absorbent article to clothing contacting the edges of the article in that the elasticized leg flaps present a fluid impervious barrier between the edge of the absorbent core and the contacting clothing, and in addition, provide a gasketing action about the legs of the wearer. Despite the effectiveness of such structures, however, body exudates, especially loose fecal material, can leak through the elasticized leg flaps and soil the wearer's clothing because the diaper does not constrain the free flow of such material nor provide a structure to hold it within the diaper so that as such material freely floats on the top surface of the topsheet, it tends to work its way past the elasticized leg flaps.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide an absorbent article which has improved containment characteristics.
It is an additional object of the present invention to provide an absorbent article having a reservoir which acts as a restraint against the leakage of body exudates.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an absorbent article having elasticized side flaps and reservoirs so as to provide a dual restraint against the lateral flow of body exudates, thereby improving the containment characteristics of the absorbent article, especially in regard to loose fecal material.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide an absorbent article having increased comfort for the wearer and a better initial fit on the wearer.
These and other objects of the invention will be more readily apparent when considered in reference to the following description and when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.